Ricerc@Sapienza

The many fundamental roto-vibrational resonances of chemical compounds result in strong absorption lines in the mid-infrared region (λ ∼ 2–20 μm). For this reason, mid-infrared spectroscopy plays a key role in label-free sensing, in particular, for chemical recognition, but often lacks the required sensitivity to probe small numbers of molecules. In this work, we propose a vibrational sensing scheme based on Bloch surface waves (BSWs) on 1D photonic crystals to increase the sensitivity of mid-infrared sensors. We report on the design and deposition of CaF2/ZnS 1D photonic crystals.

A combined label-free and fluorescence surface optical technique was used to quantify the mass deposited in binary biomolecular coatings. These coatings were constituted by fibronectin (FN), to stimulate endothelialization, and phosphorylcholine (PRC), for its hemocompatibility, which are two properties of relevance for cardiovascular applications. One-dimensional photonic crystals sustaining a Bloch surface wave were used to characterize different FN/PRC coatings deposited by a combination of adsorption and grafting processes.

Photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence biosensors have been proposed as a novel immunodiagnostic tool, due to the increased fluorescence excitation rates and angular redistribution of the emission. Among these, purely dielectric one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPC) sustaining Bloch surface waves (BSW) at their truncation edge, have recently attracted much interest. We report for the first time on the time resolved experimental study of the effects of excess reabsorption of the BSW coupled fluorescence in the near infrared range around 800 nm.

Photonic crystal (PC)-enhanced fluorescence has been proposed as a novel tool for early disease detection in liquid biopsy. Photobleaching of the emitters has never been deeply investigated, although its cross section is expected to increase because of the large field intensity enhancement in PC. Herein, we report on the experimental investigation of the anisotropic effects arising when fluorescence excitation and emission are coupled to differently polarized modes of the same PC structure.

We report on the development of a biosensing platform that combines label-free and fluorescence based detection on
disposable Bloch surface wave biochips. This system is applied to the detection of the HER2-neu/ErbB2 clinical
biomarker related to breast cancer development. We first describe the design and fabrication of the BSW biochips as
well as the principle of operation of the optical reading instrument. Then, the approaches for surface functionalization

Understanding how a fluid flows at the boundaries when it is confined at the microscale/nanoscale is crucial for a broad range of engineering and biology applications. We propose an experimental technique based on Bloch surface waves sustained by a one-dimensional photonic crystal to evaluate the speed of the contact line, i.e., the triple junction separating three phases, in the low Reynold’s number regime, and with a nanometric resolution.

Photonic crystal (PC) enhanced fluorescence has been proposed as a novel tool for early disease detection in a liquid biopsy format. However, photobleaching of the emitters has never been deeply investigated, although its cross section is expected to increase due to the large field intensity enhancement. Herein, we report on a comprehensive theoretical description of the stationary fluorescence emission of molecular emitters bound to the surface of a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC) biosensor.

We report on the measurement of the pressure associated with a shock wave within a very thin layer (100 nm) in proximity of a boundarysurface. In the experiments, the shock wave was emitted by a cavitation bubble generated by a pulsed pump laser in water. We developed apump-probe setup based on the detection of the light scattered at the surface of a one-dimensional photonic crystal, which was purposelydesigned to sustain a surface electromagnetic wave in the visible range and to enhance the optical response.

A highly selective filter is designed, working at 1.55 ?m and having a 3-dB bandwidth narrower than 0.4 nm, as is required in Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexed systems. Different solutions are proposed, involving photonic crystals made rectangular- or circular-section dielectric rods, or else of holes drilled in a dielectric bulk. The polarization and frequency selective properties are achieved by introducing a defect in the periodic structure. The device is studied by us- ing in-house codes implementing the full-wave Fourier Modal Method.